The Christmas Runaway
by MissAntique
Summary: Professor Layton and his assistant Emmy find themselves caught in a wild chase through the wintry streets of London when Luke's gift escapes on Christmas Eve.


**Author's Note:** Well fanfiction, it has quite literally been years since I last posted on here, but I have returned bearing a little Christmas story I have had in my head for over two years now. This first chapter is a bit rushed since I have been trying to finish it before Christmas Day, and hopefully I will have the rest completed before then.

Sorry for dissappearing for so long, and I hope this will make up for it!

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Chapter One 

"And dad said that we will drop by sometime in the afternoon. I wish the house was ready - We didn't even put up a tree this year!"

Layton chuckled, calmly replying, "Now Luke, you know as well as I do that it takes time to settle into a new home. Your parents only just arrived in London last week."

"I know…but it's still odd having presents with no tree to place them under!" Luke puffed out his cheeks and flopped down on the burnt orange couch in his mentor's office.

"Are my ears playing tricks on me? I know I'm not hearing you complain about presents," Emmy scoffed from behind the boy's left shoulder. "I'll gladly take them off your hands, if they mean so little to you."

"That's not what I meant!"

"It sure sounded like it did. Wouldn't you agree, Professor?"

"You know I try to remain indifferent with your disagreements," Layton replied, trying his hardest to hide a smile. Even on Christmas Eve, his two assistants could find something to argue over.

Luke, in an attempt to change the subject, suddenly added, "Will you be able to stop by this year, Emmy? Mum's been wanting you to try her Yorkshire Pudding."

"Oh, I don't know, Second Assistant," Emmy shrugged, losing her hold on a set of partially graded papers she had been organizing, "but that does sound really tasty…"

"You are more than welcome to join us, my dear, although if you already have plans-"

"No," Emmy cut Layton off, "I actually haven't made any plans yet, aside from helping you hang those lights once we're finished here… I suppose I am free."

"Great!" Luke chimed in, grinning from ear to ear. "We can help mum with the cookies, and build a snowman if the snow doesn't melt by morning! Oh, and I heard dad talking about bringing a huge Christmas turkey and-"

"Hey, don't spoil it for me!" Emmy cut in, laughing. "I have yet to experience the Triton family traditions, or Hershel Layton's for that matter."

"That's what happens when you skip out like last year," Luke stated.

"I didn't 'skip out'. I just had some things to do last time."

"Alright, you two, if you are quite finished." Layton set aside the remainder of the exams he had been grading and stood, his hand settling to adjust his top hat. "It's getting late. We had best be off before Clark and Brenda beat us to the flat."

"Wow, I never would have imagined your house could be so posh with Christmas decorations!" Upon entering Layton's home, Emmy gaped in awe at the décor. Twinkling strands of whitish-yellow lights wrapped around a wooden banister beside a staircase leading to the floor above. She had already noticed a wreath hung with an elegant red ribbon gracing the front door, and a matching wreath appeared to float in an empty spot on the wall to her right. She could just make out the prickly branches of a pine tree shining in the glow of another strand of lights. They peeked out of the living room past the stairs, greenery reaching out like little fingers yearning to clutch more ornaments only fit for a proper Christmas tree. "This beats your office any day."

"I'm not entirely sure that last part is the equivalent of a compliment, but thank you." Layton smiled as he closed the door behind his assistant, trapping the frigid air outside. He slipped his heavy coat off, Emmy unravelling a thick, pale pink scarf from around her neck. Luke's blue scarf and a darker blue winter coat had already been shed and handed off to a coat rack by the time Emmy got around to unbuttoning her own coat.

"Are you still hanging the rest of the lights around the roof, Professor? Everyone else on the street has those!" Luke called, having run off to the living room.

"In theory, yes."

"That's our secret mission for the night, eh Professor?" Emmy teased. "We probably should have hung them earlier in daylight though."

Layton took Emmy's coat from her outstretched hand, hanging it beside Luke's. "Ah, well, that was the original plan. I suppose I got sidetracked-"

"-with exams, I know. This is such a terribly busy time of year, but not so busy that you couldn't have taken a break."

Layton opened his mouth to protest as Luke called once again from the other room. "Professor, aren't you going to finish decorating your tree? Half of it is still bare!"

With a smirk, Emmy's hands had covered one of the Professor's, and she pulled him towards the living room. "You heard the boy! Relax and have a little fun, Professor. You've earned it."

Layton smiled, fixing his hat that had nearly toppled off his head. "Well, alright, what harm could it do?"

"That's the spirit," Emmy commented as she stopped beside Luke, bending over and taking a red and green orb out of a cardboard box propped open in the floor. She offered it to Layton, and he accepted it with his signature smile. Emmy, in turn, grabbed another ornament and stepped around the perimeter of the tree to find it a home to nestle in.

It took no time for the trio to fill in the gaps in the tree's foliage, and Emmy announced that they only needed to finish by placing the star on top. Luke took it upon himself to grab hold of the glass, golden-coated object, and Emmy helped Layton settle the boy atop his shoulders so he could do the honor of placing it at the top of the tree. Luke took his sweet time, making sure that every ornament was in its place before he reached up, the star in hand. Before he could finish, a knock sounded at the door.

"Oh, I'll get it. And hurry up already, shorty! No one cares if the star is a little crooked!"

"But I care!"

Emmy rolled her eyes as she reached the front door, and she quickly opened it. She was greeted by a chilled breeze and two friendly faces.

"Emmy, it's good to see you!"

"Brenda, Clark! It's nice to see the both of you too!"

Emmy quickly stepped aside to let the two inside, and Luke ran out of the living room, apparently finally satisfied with the tree.

"Mum! Dad!" The boy exclaimed as he ran into his mother's arms and embraced her. Clark nodded to the Professor as the gentleman joined the others in the entryway.

"Hopefully Luke here has been behaving himself." Clark commented.

Emmy tapped her chin, appearing to be pondering the notion, which went unnoticed by Clark. Luke, however, took notice and proceeded to stick his tongue out at the woman as Layton shook his head.

"Not to worry, Clark. Luke has actually been quite a help with last minute decorating."

"You should see the tree!" Luke said excitedly.

"We'll see it tomorrow, but for now, we really should let Hershel have some peace for the night," Brenda began, ushering her son towards the door. Luke pouted, but relented upon the proposition of baking an early batch of snickerdoodles. The boy bid his mentor farewell before exiting the house with his mother.

"Are you sure it won't be a bother to keep him for the night?" Clark questioned once Luke was out of earshot.

"I doubt he will be much trouble for one night. Besides, Emmy has offered to help me keep an eye on him for as long as she is here," Layton replied.

"In that case, I owe you one, Hershel," Clark laughed good-naturedly as he patted his friend on the back.

With that, the two said their goodbyes before Clark slipped past the door to regroup with his family. Once the front door had firmly shut, Emmy peeked her head out of the living room.

"Is the coast clear?"

Layton nodded and followed the young woman into the living room where she sat down, setting a large cardboard box in front of her. "He didn't notice you slip outside?"

Emmy smiled proudly, boisterously replying, "Of course not! Luke may be more perceptive than most, but if you mention food, he becomes completely oblivious to everything around him."

The Professor smiled at the explanation, but his attention was set on the box. Emmy took that as cue to open it, and instantaneously a dark brown head popped out to greet the duo. Huge, beady eyes darted around the room, taking in the new scenery, and Emmy practically melted on the spot.

"Aww! He's adorable, Professor!"

"And full of energy, I see." Layton added as the creature in question lurched forward to lick the giggling assistant.

"Well, what do you expect from a puppy? Especially a Labrador!" Emmy stated as the mutt pulled away from his new companion to investigate the perimeter of the room. Standing up, Emmy suddenly snapped and pointed towards the Professor. "Oh, I almost forgot about the lights outside! Why don't I handle those while you get our little guest settled?"

"Nonsense, I couldn't possibly let you finish on your own."

"We can't leave the puppy alone, and Luke is dead set on someone getting the rest of those lights up. I can manage just fine, Professor."

Shaking his head, Layton glanced down at the puppy sniffing the tips of his shoes. "I believe he will be alright for just a few minutes. We will simply have to work quickly."

Realizing she was not going to win this disagreement anytime soon, Emmy caved. "Alright, you win. Now where did that staple gun end up…?"

The Professor directed Emmy towards the kitchen for the staple gun and extra staples, just in case, as he donned on his winter attire and headed outside to set up a ladder. Emmy joined him outside moments later, handing off the staple gun so she could grab the loose strand of lights swinging beside the door and mount the steps. "Keep the ladder steady, this should only take a moment."

Layton did as he was instructed, climbing up a few steps to return the staple gun once Emmy could easily reach the roof. Quickly, she angled the lights just so and pressed two staples into an empty section, but she paused as she heard an odd rustling somewhere below her. She had to bend down to see underneath the roof, and she grimaced a bit as she realized who the culprit was. "Uh, Professor, the pup's trying to play with your wreath."

Layton followed Emmy's gaze, frowning just in the slightest. "Did you properly latch the door on the way out?"

Emmy laughed nervously, hesitating, "Apparently not… You might want to grab him before he decides to make a run for it. "

Layton was interrupted mid-reply by the ladder jolting underneath the two. Emmy gasped and tried to grab a hold of the roof, and Layton attempted to lean forward to steady the ladder, but to no avail. Suddenly, Layton was falling to the left as the ladder toppled at an angle more to the right. Mercifully, he landed on his stomach in a blanket of soft snow, and he grunted as another body landed on his back. Emmy made a small noise, the wind knocked out of her. Layton, though dazed, tried to get a look at her from over his shoulder, but all he could make out was a mass of dark waves strewn across the white powder underneath them.

"Ow…" Emmy finally breathed. She lifted her head, spatting strands of hair out of her mouth as she brushed aside the rest that had fallen in front of her face. She blinked twice, confused as she saw nothing but red and green, before she realized she was still clutching the lights that were supposed to be lining the roof. She was pretty sure her leg and arms had somehow become entangled in the strands on the way down, and she was vaguely aware of another bit resting on top of her head.

Layton was in a similar state, and he managed to pull Emmy's arm to the left as he tried to move his legs, both pinned down by his assistant and the Christmas lights. "You were right. This really is a project best enacted during the day."

Emmy didn't process his comment. Instead, her gaze was settled upon a bundle of brown who had rolled himself into a mess of lit cords and snow. "Why that little-"

Before she could finish the sentence, the pup was up and in motion, as a neighborhood alley cat had caught his eye. Both the Professor and his assistant cried out as they were roughly jerked to the side as the lights were still caught on the little rascal's abdomen. The puppy, finding himself trapped along with his companions, did not like feeling confined in such a wide area. Thus, he pulled harder, snatching Emmy's hair and knocking Layton's hat clean off his head.

When that didn't free him, the now frazzled mutt took to running around the duo struggling to sit up. This only made matters worse, and the two finally found themselves wrapped up, limbs stiffly pinned to limbs. With one final tug, the puppy had freed himself and took off running, leaving his caretakers behind in a tangled heap in the snow.

"...You know, this reminds me of a puzzle Dean Delmona needed assistance with last week."

"Now is not the time for puzzles, Professor!" Emmy grunted as she struggled to free her arm. "We have a spastic canine on the loose!"


End file.
